Red palm weevil (RPW, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is the most important pest of date and Canary palm in the Middle East, Europe and North Africa. An important management technique has been trapping using the male produced aggregation pheromone, a palm produced kairomone (usually ethyl acetate) and food. The latter needs replacement every 2-4 weeks to maintain good attraction to traps. The use of low service or serviceless traps is viewed by many as the next step in the evolution of the mass trapping technique. Recently a trap sold as the Electrap TM , has been introduced to the market as a dry, serviceless trap. Its alleged mechanism of action is based on the attraction of insects via electromagnetic radiation. According to the manufacturer, light emitted into the trap is focused into a resonance chamber containing pheromone and kairomone and from this chamber specific frequencies of electromagnetic radiation are emitted which contact the insect and result in its attraction to the trap. Generation of the attractive electromagnetic radiation is supposed to be due to mirrors on the internal sides of the chamber containing the pheromone and kairomone. In this study, we have examined the Electrap™ with and without mirrors in the chamber and compared the effectiveness of the Electrap™ vs the standard and modified bucket traps using R. palmarum as a surrogate organism. Our findings indicated that mirrors are not necessary for attraction of R. palmarum to the Electrap™ and that "serviceless" bucket traps are equally attractive. We also determined that the performance of the Electrap™ is due to retention of captured palm weevils by the bristle ring inside the conical entry point. Modification of side entry bucket traps by substitution of side entry by a conical entry point on the top results in better weevil retention. Top cone entry bucket traps retain water 3X better than side entry bucket traps. Additionally, we also present data for an "attract and kill" formulation tested against RPW in Malaysian coconut. The attract and kill formulation reduced monitoring trap captures in the test site by over 95% from pre-application and is effective for at least 9 months. Both cases represent new insights and research avenues to develop better control of palm weevils.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.